Beyond Summerland by Jenny Lecoat

Author:Jenny Lecoat
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Graydon House Books
Published: 2024-05-15T20:11:44+00:00

7

Sawdust and wood shavings lay all over the landing floor. Her fingers were red, with a nasty blister on one thumb, and it had taken her the entire afternoon, struggling with her dad’s old hand drill and some ancient screws that had seen better days. But she had done it. Now attached to the inside of her bedroom door was a slim metal bolt that slid into its casing perfectly. She pulled it back and forth several times, enjoying the clicking sound it made.

Jean stood back and examined her work with pride, thrilled by her renewed ownership of her room. Why had she not thought of it earlier? The answer had been staring her in the face. A deep rummage in the garden shed, still stuffed with bits and pieces from her father’s shop, had unearthed everything she required. And when her mother had tutted and questioned the necessity, as Jean knew she would, she had delivered her well-rehearsed story that the wind was rattling her door at night and keeping her awake, adding that Eddie had too much on his plate to be troubled with such a trifling job. With a dustpan and brush, she swept the mess from the floor, a smile tweaking the corners of her mouth. She knew it would enrage her uncle, and that thought pleased her. She could no longer look at him without seeing him groping through her private drawer, his thick, stubby fingers touching the undergarments and his tongue lolling from his mouth with perverted pleasure, while the memory of him sitting on her bed kept sleep at bay on many nights. But tonight she could relax, for if her work angered him, she also knew he would not try to undo it. What possible reason could he give? She stroked the sleek black pin with her fingers. There was a dark pleasure in finding her own solution to this problem, executing it herself, and also—she had to admit it—in the notion that Hazel would probably approve.

Her mind drifted back to their meeting and that bizarre conversation in the café. She had replayed it in her brain on a continuous loop, questioning the wisdom. Blurting out her turmoil over Horst’s proposal had astounded her as much as Hazel, and should it turn out she was wrong, that Hazel was the informant after all, she had volunteered dangerous ammunition. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to believe that, nor could she regret her confession. Hazel’s explanations had felt real and honest, and since sharing her own burden, a huge weight seemed to have lifted from Jean’s body. It had been like talking to a friend, and Jean realized that, even with Daphne, it had been a long time since she had felt the security of real comradeship.

She had vowed on her journey home that she would never reveal the conversation to her family.

Downstairs, she heard the front door bang as Eddie returned, and the family convened in the kitchen for their evening meal. As

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